Imran Khan calls Modi government ‘fascist’, ‘supremacist’

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again condemned his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and the country’s Bharatiya Janata Party-led government. Amid the dispute over Kashmir between the countries, he called the Indian government “fascist” and “supremacist”.

According to a report by the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS): "As Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that henceforth, talks with Islamabad would only be on Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), reiterating Home Minister Amit Shah's statement that PoK and Aksai Chin are part of Kashmir, the Pakistan Prime Minister, in a series of tweets, alleged that Muslims in India were being disenfranchised and "RSS goons were on the rampage".

In a series of tweets posted on August 18, he compared the Indian government to those who ruled Nazi Germany.

Using his Twitter handle, @ImranKhanPTI, he posted: “India has been captured, as Germany had been captured by Nazis, by a fascist, racist Hindu supremacist ideology and leadership. This threatens 9 million Kashmiris under siege in IOK [Indian occupied Kashmir] for over two weeks which should have sent alarm bells ringing across the world with UN observers being sent there.”

“And the threat also extends to Pakistan, the minorities in India and in fact the very fabric of Nehru and Gandhi’s India. One can simply Google to understand the link between the Nazi ideology and ethnic cleansing and genocide ideology of the RSS-BJP [Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-Bharatiya Janata Party] founding fathers,” he continued in a consecutive tweet.

He went on to claim that Indian Muslims in India face oppression and discrimination: “Already four million Indian Muslims face detention camps and cancellation of citizenship. [The] world must take note as this genie is out of the bottle and the doctrine of hate and genocide, with RSS goons on the rampage, will spread unless the international community acts now to stop it.”

While there were some who agreed with the premier’s claims, many Indians were quick to counter them.

Twitter user @amolranjanpand1 replied to Khan’s post: “@ImranKhanPTI India is second largest Islamic nation. Largest Sikh nation with 1 crore (10 million) Sikhs. 10th largest Christian nation. Birthplace of Buddhism and Jainism. Largest Zoroastrian nation and most Jewish friendly nation. On the other side minorities in Pakistan has dropped to 0.5 per cent from 35 per cent in 1947, khud ko dekh [look at yourself].”

However, the premier’s virtual rant continued. In another post, Khan ‘warned’ the world and specifically named the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, claiming that his regime is a worldwide threat: “The world must also seriously consider the safety and security of India’s nuclear arsenal in the control of the fascist, racist Hindu supremacist Modi government. This is an issue that impacts not just the region but the world.”

Continuing on the same note, Khan in his final tweet on the thread, claimed that Modi’s government is detrimental to the India that Jawaharlal Nehru, former Prime Minister of India and Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation envisioned: “The Hindu Supremacist Modi government poses a threat to Pakistan as well as to the minorities in India and in fact to the very fabric of Nehru and Gandhi’s India.”

Similar thoughts shared in previous posts

The row over Kashmir has grown between the two countries.

Pakistan has termed as an "act of annexation", India's abrogation of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and division of the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

On Friday, Rajnath Singh had said that India may rethink on its no first use nuclear policy if the need arises. Singh had said that the future "circumstances" would determine what would happen to India's "no first use" policy of nuclear weapons, which Pakistan has criticised as "highly unfortunate".

In a tweet posted on the same day, Khan wrote: “The fascist, Hindu supremacist Modi government should know that while armies, militants and terrorists can be defeated by superior forces; history tells us that when a nation unites in a freedom struggle and does not fear death, no force can stop it from achieving its goal.”

Tying it to the Kashmir issue, he continued in a consecutive tweet: “That is why the Hindutva exclusivist creed of the Modi-led government with its fascist tactics in IOK will fail miserably in its attempt to smother the Kashmiri liberation struggle.”